f a rich college basketball fan spent this season on the road traveling to see some of the sport's best teams, parts of the itinerary would look very similar to Richmond's nonconference schedule.

After playing games at Arizona, Wake Forest, Virginia and Pittsburgh, it's hard to imagine that Saturday's game against the University of Massachusetts at noon at the Mullins Center is going to intimidate the Spiders much.

Richmond arrives trying to get back to .500 after going 5-6 in nonconference games. The Spiders are 8-9, including 3-3 in the Atlantic 10.

The road hasn't been an easy place as Richmond, which is 2-8 away from the Robins Center. ''Everybody makes a big deal about them being 2-8 on the road, but you look at the eight road losses,'' Lappas said. ''It's a who's who. They've had a very tough schedule.''

The Spiders are on a two-game winning streak coming off back-to-back wins over George Washington (70-59) and La Salle (78-71).

A year ago, Kevin Steenberge and Daon Merritt combined to average fewer than 10 points per game as subs on a senior-dominated Spider team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Their development this year has helped Richmond stay competitive despite their graduation losses.

Steenberge, a 6-foot-11 junior center averaging 11.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, is the type of player who has given Minuteman Rashaun Freeman trouble so far this season.

''He's very athletic. He's long. He's tall. He's one of those big kids that gives us trouble,'' Lappas said. ''Hopefully the experience of playing against guys like that will help Ray against him.''

Freeman said he is prepared for the matchup.

''When I play against better opponents, it lets me know there's less room for error,'' Freeman said. ''I'm going into the game trying to stop him and get as many rebounds as I can.''

Freeman struggled in the first half and never quite got on track the last time he faced a bigger opponent, Dwayne Jones of Saint Joseph's. Freeman said he learned from that.

''I realized I can't spaz out when I don't do what I have to do in the first half,'' Freeman said. ''I have to stay focused.''

Merritt is tied with Steenberge for the team lead in scoring and leads Richmond with 4.4 assists per game.

NOTES: The game will be televised on the Atlantic 10 Network, shown locally on NESN. UMass is 2-2 televised games this season.

Redshirt sophomore Alassane Kouyate has rejoined the Minutemen after rehabbing in Cleveland during the semester break.

''We're going to start doing individual instruction with him and see what happens,'' Lappas said.

MHERST, Mass. - Despite an 18-point effort by sophomore Maurice Maxwell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and coming back from a double-figure deficit, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team fell 67-63 to Richmond on Saturday afternoon in the Mullins Center.

UMass jumped out to a 14-4 lead to open the game, but Richmond closed the first half on a 19-to-2 run going into the break up 33-26. The Spiders led by as many as 11 in the second half, but the Minutemen were able to tie the game at 50 each with 6:34 remaining.

Senior Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.) had a chance to put UMass up when he was fouled on a three-point attempt with 42.5 seconds remaining, but he missed all three leaving the score 65-63. Maxwell pulled down the rebound of the third miss, slashed into the lane, but missed the lay-in to tie the game.

Sophomore Art Bowers' (Wilmington, Del.) three-point attempt glanced off the left side of the rim and Richmond collected the rebound. Jermaine Bucknor missed the front end of the one-and-one and Merritt grabbed the rebound after it was tipped out to half court.

Merritt hit both free throws to give Richmond the 67-63 win. He finished with 13 points, while Jamaal Scott led the Spiders with 19 points on the day.

Maxwell reached double figures for the sixth time and for the fifth consecutive game. His dunk with 8:34 left brought UMass within four points, 48-44, after Richmond had led most of the second half by as many as 12 points.

The Minutemen tied the game at 50 each when Carrier hit a lay-up following a Richmond turnover and Stephane Lasme (Libreville, Gabon) threw down a dunk on the next UMass possession.

The Minutemen jumped out to a quick start taking 14- 4 lead paced by sophomore Rashaun Freeman (Schenectady, N.Y.) who had all eight of his points in the streak.

UMass played tough defensively holding Richmond scoreless for the first 4:36 of the contest.

A three-pointer from Maxwell doubled-up the score on the Spiders, 22-11, with 10:07 left in the half.

Richmond, however, awoke going on a 10-to-0 run of their own to tie the game at 24 each. A pair of free throws by Daon Merritt and a lay-up by Courtney Nelson gave the Spiders their first lead of the game at 28-24 with 4:16 remaining in the period.

The Spiders went on 19-to-0 run over a 7:11 stretch before Chadwick's lay-up at the 2:32 mark broke the Minutemen's scoreless streak.

Anderson scored 12 points to lead UMass alongside Maxwell's 18 points. Freeman scored eight points in the opening Minuteman run, but was not able to find the basket after that.

The Minutemen will return to action next Saturday when they host St. Bonaventure in the Mullins Center. The game will again be broadcast on A-10 TV and will tip-off at Noon. Residents of the New England Region can view the game on NESN.

aurice Maxwell reached double-figures for the sixth time in seven games and for the fifth game in a row with 18. He is averaging 14.7 over the seven games along with 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in his strong run.

• Maxwell led UMass' rally in the second half, after being down by as many as 11 at 41-30, UMass took its first lead of the second half on a Maxwell three-pointer with 5:22 left in the second half at 53-52. Maxwell had 10 of his points in the second half.

• Jeff Viggiano had a lay-up for his first points since returning from an ankle injury with 4:02 left in the second half to make it 57-54, UMass. He also had a lay-up with 2:16 left to tie the game at 61-61.

• Senior Anthony Anderson is now 23rd in career scoring with 1,178. Next on the list is John Murphy (1,184). It was his 57th career game scoring in double-figures with 12 and his 10th time in 15 games this season with 10 or more points.

• Anderson only moved up on the career steals chart today, going to fourth for career steals (143). He passed Shannon Crooks (142) and Donald Russell (142). Next on the list at No. 3 is Mike Williams (145). The all-time leader is Edgar Padilla (249).

• On the other lists, he continues to be second in career three-pointers made (268), career three-pointers attempted (683) and is seventh in career assists (362).

• UMass opened scoring the game's first eight points, for its best run to start a game this season. The 12-2 and 14-4 leads were also the best to start a game. Rashaun Freeman had eight of the first 14 points. In holding Richmond scoreless for the first 4:36, it was the latest any UMass opponent scored in a game this season.

• UMass started the game 9-of-13 from the floor for 69.2 percent with Freeman hitting his first three shots - all in the game's first 6:35. UMass also had 12 of the game's first 15 rebounds. After the good start from the floor, UMass made just two of its next 18 field goals.

Other Notes: Richmond won the tap ... Rashaun Freeman dunked home the game's first points 26 seconds into the game ... Freeman scored the game's first four points ... Maxwell had a slam dunk for UMass' second field goal of the game building a 6-0 lead ... Lasme's basket put UMass up 8-0 ... Richmond did not score for the game's first 4:36 before Jermaine Bucknor canned a jumper to make it 8-2 ... Every member of the UMass starting line-up had scored within the game's first 10 minutes ... Richmond had a 13-0 run to tie the game at 24-24 after trailing 24-11 and built the run to 14-0 to lead for the first time at 26-24 with 4:34 left in the first half ... the run continued to as big as 19-0 over 7:11 for a 30-24 Spiders lead ... Richmond's largest first-half lead was seven - the halftime score (33-26) ... the run was even larger at 30-6 bridging the first and second halves as Richmond lead 41-30, for the Spiders' largest lead of the game (+11) ... UMass erased that lead to tie the game at 50-50 with 6:36 left in the second half on a Lasme dunk.

MHERST - With seven of their victories coming by a margin of four points or less, the UMass men's basketball team found itself in an all-too-familiar position late in yesterday's game against Richmond at the Mullins Center. This time around, however, the Spiders made the plays down the stretch to post a 67-63 victory.

The Minutemen (10-8, 4-4 Atlantic 10) coughed up a 13-point lead in the first half as they watched Richmond reel off a 19-0 run. UMass fell behind by seven points at the break, and by 12 in the second half, before bouncing back. The game's last 6:35 featured six ties and four lead changes.

UMass led for the final time at 57-54 on Jeff Viggiano's lefty layup with 3:56 to play. Jermaine Bucknor quickly tied it for Richmond on a 3-pointer, and, with 1:16 left, the Spiders' Jamaal Scott (game-high 19 points) broke a 63-63 tie with a baseline drive for a layup.

Anthony Anderson drew a foul from Scott on a 3-point try with 42.5 seconds left, but the Minutemen's 89 percent free throw shooter left his first attempt short and his next two long. He was 4-for-4 from the line leading up to the misses.

``Missing the first one really didn't affect my concentration,'' Anderson said. ``I'm thinking I'm knocking down the second one. I missed it, I'm thinking I'm knocking down the third one.''

Viggiano grabbed an offensive rebound off Anderson's third miss, but Maurice Maxwell missed a runner in the lane and the Minutemen were forced to foul. Patrick O'Malley missed the first of a one-and-one for Richmond, Art Bowers threw up an errant 3-point try, Bucknor rebounded for the Spiders and UMass sent him to the line with 10.2 seconds remaining.

Bucknor missed the front end and UMass' Rashaun Freeman punched the basketball toward midcourt. The ball went directly to Richmond's Daon Merritt, who was fouled and made two clinching shots at the 5.9-second mark.

``A couple of plays here and there turned it around in the last minute,'' UMass coach Steve Lappas said. ``We couldn't get a stop when we needed it. It's the first time we found ourselves in that position and didn't come through.''

The Minutemen bolted to an 8-0 lead as Richmond (9-9, 4-3) came out sluggish after arriving at Mullins just 35 minutes before the scheduled tipoff. Freeman and Maxwell each scored eight early points as UMass topped out at a 24-11 advantage with 9:43 to go in the half.

From there, Freeman picked up two fouls 31 seconds apart and went to the bench. The Spiders immediately heated up, with O'Malley starting the 19-0 run with a pair of treys and diminutive guard Courtney Nelson finishing it with two layups.

``It helped us get back in the game when (Freeman) got his second foul. That was a break,'' Spiders coach Jerry Wainwright said. ``It gave us a better matchup.''

Scott scored three early baskets in the second half as Richmond took its largest lead of the day, 44-32, with 12:33 left.

Stephane Lasme's dunk off a Maxwell feed ended an 18-6 run and brought the Minutemen back into a 50-50 tie.

MHERST -- In close games all season long, the University of Massachusetts had been able to shift to a higher gear. Yesterday, they stalled.

Fizzling rather than flourishing at the finish, UMass fell to a mediocre Richmond squad, 67-63. It was the first time in eight games decided by 4 points or fewer that the Minutemen lost. After Wednesday night's double-overtime victory at St. Bonaventure (the team's third OT win this season), UMass coach Steve Lappas said, "Our guys really believe when the game is tight, we're going to win."

They probably felt confident yesterday when senior captain Anthony Anderson was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 42.5 seconds to go and the team trailing, 65-63. Anderson, after all, is the team's best free throw shooter. He had hit all four of his free throws in the game, and 88.8 percent during the season. He hadn't missed three foul shots in a game in two years. This time he missed that many on a single trip to the line.

"When I missed the first one, I thought I'd knock down the second one," said Anderson (12 points, five assists). "When I missed the second one, I thought I'd knock down the third one. It really didn't affect my concentration."

Still, the Minutemen (10-8, 4-4 Atlantic 10) had ample opportunity when Jeff Viggiano swooped in for the offensive rebound. But Maurice Maxwell's contested drive bounced off the rim.

Richmond (9-9, 4-3) opened the door again when Patrick O'Malley missed the front end of a one-and-one with 25.1 seconds left. UMass was out of timeouts, but had time to piece together a good possession. But Art Bowers attempted a 3-point shot with 13 seconds remaining and no UMass players in rebounding position. Bowers was already 0 for 3 from the field and 0 for 2 from 3-point land, and his final attempt clanged hard off the rim.

Opportunity knocked again when Jermaine Bucknor missed the front end of a one-and-one with 10.2 seconds left, but UMass could not control the rebound. This time, sophomore guard Daon Merritt (13 points) put the game away with a pair of free throws.

"We thought we could win every close game," said Maxwell, who was superb in defeat with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocked shots. "But you can't win every one of those times. Certain times at the end of the game, luck isn't going to be on your side."

After a sizzling start that saw the Minutemen grab a 25-11 lead, they surrendered a withering 19-0 run to give Richmond control of the game. Though UMass did regain the lead in the second half, this stretch was painfully familiar to Minutemen players and fans. Earlier in the season, UMass fell to Northeastern by 16 points when the Huskies closed the game on a 20-1 run. A late 3-point lead against Temple was squandered when the Owls closed with a 17-2 tear. In a loss at Miami, UMass gave up runs of 10-0 and 15-0. "Our focus and our energy just seem to go down," said Maxwell. "The other team notices, and it's like they smell blood."UMass has a week off before hosting St. Bonaventure Saturday.

MHERST, Mass. -- In a game in which both teams blew double-digit leads, Richmond dodged a lot of late bullets and defeated Massachusetts 67-63 yesterday at the Mullins Center.

With the Spiders leading 65-63, Jamaal Scott fouled Anthony Anderson behind the 3-point line with 42.5 seconds left. Anderson, normally UMass' most reliable free throw shooter, missed all three shots. The Minutemen grabbed the rebound, but Maurice Maxwell missed another game-tying try.

Forced to foul, UMass sent Patrick O'Malley to the line, where he missed the front end of a one-and-one. But Minutemen guard Artie Bowers missed a long, off-balance 3-pointer. Jermaine Bucknor grabbed the board and was fouled, but he too missed the front end. Daon Merritt tracked down the long, tipped-out carom, and Maxwell fouled him with 5 seconds left.

The sophomore point guard made both free throws to ice the win.

Richmond coach Jerry Wainwright took the opportunity to deliver a trademark wise crack.

"My first thought was, why did I ever attempt to do this for a living. You have no control over anything in your life," he said. "The big play for us was the tip-out. It ran time and gave us a chance to get up by four. That changes the whole game."

The Spiders (4-3 Atlantic 10, 9-9), improved to .500 for the first time since early December. After starting the season 1-8 on the road, they've now won back-to-back games away from the Robins Center. They host Duquesne on Tuesday at 7:30.

"Any time you win a conference game on the road, you're excited," Wainwright said. "We made some big baskets at the end of the game. It's a big win for us."

Scott led Richmond with a season-high 19 points and seven rebounds. Merritt added 13 points and four assists. Maxwell led UMass with 18 points.

Transportation trouble caused Richmond to arrive much later than expected. The lack of warm-up time seemed to hurt the Spiders as UMass scored the first eight points of the game and opened up a 24-11 advantage behind eight points from Rashaun Freeman. But the Minutemen's standout big man picked up his second foul with just under eight minutes left in the half.

Freeman's departure closely coincided with the arrival of Richmond's game legs. A 3-pointer by O'Malley launched a 19-0 Spider run that put them ahead 30-24 with 3:45 left in the half. They built the lead to 33-26 at intermission.

The momentum carried over into the second half as Richmond extended its advantage to 44-32, but it couldn't deliver the knockout blow. Freeman picked up his fourth foul with 12:33 left, but UMass mounted a comeback without him, going on an 18-6 surge to tie the game at 50-50 with 6:36 remaining.

The lead changed hands four times down the stretch until Scott scored an open baseline layup with 1:16 left, setting up the final sequence.

"It was tough on the road because they kept fighting back," Scott said. "Teams make runs, but you have to keep doing what gave you the lead. We made some plays at the end. Good teams win these kinds of games on the road."

Wainwright hoped his team would learn from the game.

"With a younger team, there's a tendency when you're teaching to point to things that you've done," Wainwright said. "A positive lesson at this time of year really helps your team. You can point to this down the road and say, 'Look what happened at UMass.'"

With under a minute left on Saturday afternoon, the Minutemen trailed visiting Atlantic 10 rival Richmond 65-63 and were given several chances to either tie or win the game. However, ineptitude from the line, a missed layup, and a blown play thwarted any comeback. UMass ended up losing the game 67-63.

"That was the first time we found ourselves in that position and didn't come through," UMass coach Steve Lappas said. "We couldn't get a defensive stop when we needed one, and a couple of plays in the last minute made the difference."

The loss was the first time the Maroon and White dropped a game within five points all season. Previous to Saturday, UMass had gone 7-0 in close games but against Richmond, everything fell apart at the wrong time.

With 42.2 seconds remaining in the game and the Spiders leading 65-63, senior guard Anthony Anderson was fouled on a three-point attempt. Anderson, who is .762 from the line this year, proceeded to miss all three shots. Maurice Maxwell, who scored a team-high 18 points in the contest, grabbed an offensive rebound but missed the ensuing layup.

The Minutemen were able to thwart Richmond's next offensive possession, but lacked a timeout to slow the pace and call a play. Sophomore swingman Artie Bowers received the ball, drove to within five feet of the three-point line, and jacked up a prayer with 10 seconds on the clock. The show bounced harmlessly off the left side of the rim, where it was rebounded by Spider forward Jermaine Brucknor, who was immediately fouled.

Brucknor missed the first of a one-and-one attempt, but the rebound was tipped and Richmond point guard Daon Merritt reeled in the ball and was fouled. Merritt made both of his free throws, putting the game just out of reach with a mere five seconds to go.

"My first thought was, why did I ever attempt to do this for a living. You have no control over anything in your life," Richmond coach Jerry Wainwright said. "The big play for us was the tip-out. It ran time and gave us a chance to get up by four. That changes the whole game."

From the get-go, it appeared that UMass had complete control over the game. Right after a quick defensive stop, Rashaun Freeman caught a lob pass and jammed home the first points of the game. For the next 10 minutes, the Minutemen controlled the tempo, fueled by their inside force.

UMass jumped out to a quick 14-4 lead with Freeman netting all eight points he would have in the game. However, in the midst of the run, Freeman picked up two fouls that caused Lappas to bench him for the rest of the half.

Maxwell hit a three with 10:07 left in the half, putting the Minutemen up 22-11, but this shot would be the last offensive spark UMass would see until senior point guard Chris Chadwick hit a layup with 2:32 left in the half.

During this scoring hiatus, the Spiders went on a 19-0 scoring spree and capitalized on the absence of Freeman's inside presence.

"He's (Freeman) is very difficult to guard, we usually double-team him," Wainwright said. "It helped us get back in the game when he got his second foul, it gave us a little bit of a better match up."

The Spiders would jump out to 33-26 lead at the half.

In the second half, Richmond extended he lead to 12 before UMass started chipping away. With 8:34 left in the game Maxwell went coast-to-coast and delivered an explosive dunk to bring the Minutemen within four.

UMass could not complete the comeback as Jamaal Scott paced the Richmond offense with 19 points while grabbing seven boards.

Game Notes: The Minutemen added transfer Dante Milligan from the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday. Milligan is a 6'8 forward from New York, N.Y. and sat on the bench with the Maroon and White during Saturday's game.

s a sports writer for this fine publication, I've covered Massachusetts men's basketball for two seasons now and have enjoyed every second of it. I've seen good games and bad games, monumental wins and soul-sucking losses and everything you could possibly imagine in between.

My current beat partner and I have left for Washington D.C. at 3 A.M, returned from Olean, N.Y. at 6 A.M, flew to Miami without sleeping and split the cost of the entire trip out of our own pockets each time. Why? Because in the end we are fans of the game, enjoy the team and its coach and ultimately, above all else, love our school. So with that in mind, I've decided it's time for an agonizing reappraisal of this UMass basketball situation.

I'm exposed to rampant criticism of the current state of the Minutemen almost every day. Whether it's coming from another media outlet, a fellow student, a disgruntled alum or an anonymous no-name on a fan message board, the message is always loud and clear: "UMass basketball sucks!" or "fire Steve Lappas!"

So now, I'm here to turn the tables and to set the record straight. The Minutemen do not suck and, believe it or not, neither does Steve Lappas. Those who suck are the so-called "fans and supporters" who wouldn't know maroon and white from orange and purple, and couldn't find their way to the Mullins Center if it was connected to their living room. Every single one of you should be ashamed of yourselves, and there is no doubt in my mind that you know who you are. You have truly evolved into the fellowship of the miserable, and it's never been more clear that UMass would be better off without you.

To be quite honest, there is just no excuse for the blatant fair-weather fans that infest this university. You might as well become Yankees fans, but in reality you probably already are. For the last two seasons the Minutemen haven't given you, the card-carrying members of the so-called "UMass fanbase" a reason to watch them, and I will not dispute that. But from the very outset, this season has been different, and in the end it still hasn't made a difference. You wanted a winning team? Well, you got one. You wanted good players? You got a bunch of them, including the potential Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. A marquee win? You were probably there, trying to get on television, so you saw it. A chance at postseason and a shot at the A-10 championship? An NIT run certainly looks feasible, ditto A-10 tourney.

So seriously, what is it that you want before you'll finally quit pissing and moaning, shut up and support the school - YOUR school - that needs loyalty in any way shape or form it can get? The hell with the fact that you don't like the coach, you don't think the players are playing hard or whatever ridiculous, jaded and bitter reason you come up with you justify your non-support. The Minutemen played a crucial game with Richmond over the weekend, and after my colleague at this paper called out the fan base to show up in support, no one did. The student sections were empty, the sparse crowd made no noise and on the same day, Rutgers drew 8,000 fans to the RAC to watch them fall to 1-6 in conference play. Awesome.

But hey, just do what you do and keep on keepin' on. Whine, cry, complain, threaten to stop contributing to the alumni fund, stay as far away from the Mullins Center as possible, write letters to John McCutcheon calling for a new coach, post this article online and call me a "hack" or just yearn for the good old days when it wasn't so hard and emotional and time consuming to be a UMass fan, I don't care. In the end, you are letting your school down, and you should be ashamed of that, regardless of any circumstances you may create in your mind to justify it.

There are eight games left in the season, and it looks like the Minutemen will once again be forced to go forward without the support they deserve - 15 players and six coaches against the world. But in the end I know of two Collegian boys who are planning on loving every last game for the simple, direct and honest reason that the team playing wears UMASS on its chest - a reason that's always been good enough for me.

Mike Marzelli is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at Marzelli@DailyCollegian.com.

he University of Massachusetts men's basketball team had been wearing its crunch- time prowess like a crown.

The Minutemen trumpeted their 7-0 record in games that were four points or closer and 3-0 mark in overtime. They were justifiably proud of the fact that in tight spots they had played at their best. But their late luck went against them Saturday and the big shots didn't fall. Throw in a bad decision or two, and the result was a 67-63 loss to Richmond at the Mullins Center.

In a game that saw both teams lose double-digit leads, UMass could not convert a handful of late opportunities.

''This was the first time we found ourselves in that position and didn't come through,'' UMass coach Steve Lappas said. ''It went back and forth and we couldn't get a stop really when we needed it.''

Anthony Anderson looks for options after the takeaway from Courtney Nelson.

Jeff Viggiano grabbed the rebound but Maurice Maxwell missed a would-be game-tying jumper on the baseline.

Forced to foul, UMass sent Patrick O'Malley to the line, where he missed the front end of a one-and-one.

The Minutemen had a different backcourt on the floor down the stretch than they have in recent tight games, with sophomore Artie Bowers in the game instead of senior Chris Chadwick.

Perhaps trying to justify that decision, Bowers attempted a long off-balance 3-pointer, but the prayer went unanswered and Jermaine Bucknor grabbed the board.

Lappas declined comment on Bowers' shot and defended having him in the game.

''I don't know. I need to see the tape,'' Lappas said. ''Chris has had so many good days, but I didn't think he had one of his better days (Saturday). It was just coach's feel. That's how I felt today the way this game went.''

After being fouled, Bucknor missed the front end too, but Daon Merritt tracked down the long tipped-out carom and Maxwell fouled him with five seconds left. Richmond's sophomore point guard made both free throws to ice the win.

UMass dropped to 10-8 overall, 4-4 in the Atlantic 10. The Minutemen have a rare week off before hosting St. Bonaventure at noon Saturday. The Spiders (9-9, 4-3 A-10) improved to .500 for the first time since early December.

Scott led Richmond with a season-high 19 points and seven rebounds. Merritt added 13 points and four assists.

Maxwell led UMass with 18 points, while Anderson had 12 points and five assists.

Transportation trouble caused Richmond to arrive much later than expected. The lack of warm-up time seemed to hurt the Spiders as UMass scored the first eight points of the game and opened up a 24-11 advantage led by eight points from Rashaun Freeman. But the Minutemen's standout big man picked up his second foul with just under eight minutes left in the half.

Freeman's departure coincided with the arrival of Richmond's game legs. A 3-pointer by O'Malley launched a 19-0 Spider run that put them ahead 30-24 with three minutes, 45 seconds left in the half. They built the lead to 33-26 at intermission.

The momentum carried over into the second half as Richmond extended its advantage to 44-32, but it couldn't deliver the knockout blow.

Freeman picked up his fourth foul with 12:33 left, but UMass mounted a comeback without him by going on an 18-6 surge to tie the game at 50-50 with 6:36 remaining.

''I thought we were more aggressive then and drove the ball more and we got stops,'' Lappas said about the comeback.

The lead changed hands four times down the stretch until Scott scored an open baseline layup with 1:16 left to set up the final sequence.

t's become almost predictable. At some point during almost every University of Massachusetts men's basketball game, the opponent is going to reel off an enormous run. The Minutemen lose their ability to score, defend and handle the ball. They watch big leads evaporate, small leads become deficits and close games become blowouts.

Saturday's run lasted just over seven minutes as Richmond ran off 19 straight points in the first half.

The run came just moments after UMass opened the game with one of its best stretches of cohesive basketball of the season. While the run came in the first half, it's not inconceivable to think that if UMass had contained it sooner, the result of the game might have changed.

Rashaun Freeman tries to work his way out of the double-team trap.

''I think a lot of those runs come when we're not able to get the ball inside or (Rashaun Freeman) is getting doubled-teamed, or he's not in the game,'' UMass coach Steve Lappas said. ''And we turn the ball over a lot. Turnovers have hurt us in those spots. They come in droves.''

UMass has given up some other noteworthy spurts this season:

- Northeastern closed the Dec. 1 contest on a 20-1 run, turning a previously close game into an 84-68 rout.

- George Washington scored 17 straight points Jan. 15 at the Smith Center before UMass regrouped and held on to win 76-74 in overtime.

- St. Bonaventure scored 20 consecutive points against the Minutemen Wednesday, allowing the last-place Bonnies to force overtime before UMass won 82-78.

LAPPAS FRUSTRATED WITH TURNOUT - Lappas said he was disappointed that Saturday's game only drew 3,230.

''At St. Bonaventure, you go up there, it doesn't matter what their record is, it's a tough place,'' he said. ''It's a little disappointing for these kids. It helps your team when (there's a crowd). We were 10-7 coming into today's game playing a good team. It's a shame.''

VIGGIANO IMPROVING - In his third game back after missing time with an ankle injury, junior forward Jeff Viggiano's play seemed to improve considerably.

He had four points and two offensive rebounds in 11 minutes and was much more in sync than he had been.

''I thought Jeff's second-half stint was much better than his first,'' Lappas said. ''This was definitely the most that he was in the flow of things.''

RELIANCE ON FREEMAN - UMass continues to struggle when Freeman can't score consistently. The Minutemen are 0-5 this season and 2-8 in his career when he doesn't get at least 10 points.

Freeman scored eight points in the first seven minutes Saturday, but foul trouble limited his minutes (20) and kept him scoreless the rest of the way.

''When he's out for as many minutes as he's out, that takes a dimension away from us,'' Lappas said.

NEXT UP - The Minutemen have a rare week off before hosting St. Bonaventure at noon Saturday in a rematch of Wednesday's double-overtime game in Olean. The Bonnies lost to Temple 87-66 Saturday.

ANDERSON ADVANCES - Senior Anthony Anderson's 12-point, two-steal performance continued to advance him through the UMass record book. With 1,178 points, he's now No. 23 in career scoring, just six back of No. 22 John Murphy.

And Anderson now has 143 career steals and is just two behind No. 3 Mike Williams.

MISCELLANEOUS - Dante Milligan, who transferred to UMass from Pittsburgh and Alassane Kouyate, who had been away from the team while rehabbing his injured knee, were both on the UMass bench Saturday.

The Minutemen's 8-0 run to start the game was their best game-starting spurt of the season. Each UMass starter scored in the first 10 minutes Saturday.